Lock for sliding doors



Oct. 3l, 1967 N. c. WALBERG ETAL 3,350,126

LOCK FOR SLIDING DOORS ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,350,126 LOCK FOR SLIDING DOORS Nathan C. Walberg and Renato E. Mazzarantani, both M-W Fabricating Corp., 6600 NW. 32nd' Ave., Miami, Fla. 33147 Filed Dec. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 512,492 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-179) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention provides the combination of a locking device and a pair of overlapping panel members of the type that slides on parallel tracks. The locking device has a hollow body attached to one of the panels with an opening through its front wall. A slide block is mounted in the opening for horizontal slidable movement, A rigid pin is secured to the inner side of the block and it is adapted to project through a lirst aperture in the adjacent portion of the panel to which the block is attached. A spring urges the block to a retracted position in the aperture. The other panel also has an aperture alignable with the first aperture into which the pin can be protracted against the action of the spring. Releasable spring biased pawl and ratchet means are provided for holding the block in its protracted position.

This invention relates to locks, and it is more particularly concerned with devices for securing sliding doors, especially metal framed doors, such as aluminum framed glass doors, sometimes referred to as patio doors, in a closed position.

An object of the invention is the provision of such a locking device which is especially adapted to sliding patio doors and is eiective to lock adjacent door panels together so that neither can be opened from the exterior side.

Another object is the provision of means for securing sliding door panels in a position to resist unauthorized entry by prying the doors away from the channels in which they are slidably mounted.

A further object is the provision of a lock of the type mentioned which is relatively simple in construction but sturdy and reliable in use and which is not difiicult to manufacture.

These and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered with the accompanying drawing.

-In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an isometric View of an embodiment of the invention in its open position shown attached to a patiotype sliding door, the door and pertinent members being shown fragmentarily.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2 2, FIG. 1, partly broken away, with the lock in its open position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the lock in its closed position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the upper part of a modified form of the embodiment.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity, the embodiment is illustrated in relation to a conventional form of sliding door having an inner sliding panel 11 and an outer sliding panel 12. Each panel comprises a sheet of glass 13 and 14 mounted in a metal frame 15 and 16, respectively. The panels are slidably mounted in inverted channel tracks 17 and 18, respectively, of an 3,350,126 Patented Oct. 31, 1967 ICC upper frame head 19 and in corresponding channel tracks 20 and 21 of a lower frame base 22.

Integrally associated with the inner edges of the door frames are interlocking Stiles 23 and 24 which provide a form of closure for the door panels in the closed position of this door.

The locking device comprises a housing in the form of a hollow body 25 which is attached by means of bolts or screws 26 to the door frame 15 of the inner door panel 11 adjacent to its inner edge, substantially as shown.

The body 25 has an opening 27 through its front side in which a block member 28 is mounted for horizontal slidable movement. Firmly secured to the inner side of the block is a steel pin 29 which projects horizontally through an aperture 30 in the rear wall 31 of the body 25 and then in aligned apertures 32 and 33 in adjacent parts of the door frame 15.

A teusioned coil spring 34 is carried by the pin 28 between the back side of the block 28 and the inner face of the rear wall 31, the purpose of which is to urge the block to a retracted position in the opening 27.

Aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pin 29 is an aperture 35 in the stile 24 and aperture 36 in the door frame 16 of the outer door panel 12 when the panels are in their closed positions.

When the block 28 is moved from its retracted position, as shown in FIG. 2, to a protracted position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pin 29 enters the aperture 35 and then the aperture 36 to lock the two panels together.

Moving thus from the retracted to the protracted positions causes the coil spring 34 to become compressed so that the block in its protracted position is biased to its retracted position by the spring. Accordingly, to retain the block and pin in the locked positions against the resilient action of the spring, a detent inthe form of a .member 37 is mounted for limited vertical slidable movement on the inside of the hollow body 25 above the block 28. The lower end of the member 37 is fashioned with a downwardly projecting pawl 38 which is adapte-d to engage the teeth of a rack 39 along the top side of the block.

The forward upper corner of the block is shaped to provide a camming surface 40 for engaging a shoulder 0n one side of the pawl 38 when the block is in its retracted position as shown in FIG. 2.

The member 37 is biased to its downward position by a tensioned vertical coil spring 41 mounted in a recess 42 at the rear of the block. The lower end of the spring 41 abuts the bottom 43 of the recess and the upper end abuts a shelf 44 integral with the back wall of the housing and projects inside the recess 42 as shown.

Integral with the member 37 is a finger 45 which projects through an opening 46 in the front wall 47 and by means of which the member 36 can be moved manually up and down.

The upper end of the member 36 has an extension 48 which projects through an opening 49 in the top wall 50 of the housing. This extension is adapted to abut, or nearly abut, an overhanging member 51 of the frame head 19 so as to hold the door frames in vertical position relative to the frame head and thereby resist entry should one attempt to do so by prying upward with a tool, such as a crow bar.

In the modified form of FIG. 5, the extension 48 is provided with a vertical threaded aperture 52 in which an abutment pin 61 is mounted and held in selected positions of adjustment by a nut 62. This provides a form of adjustable extension for special constructions,

as shown, such as where no overhanging member 51 is provided on the frame head.

The lock is actuated to its locked position simply by pushing the block 28 from the position shown in FIG.

2 to the position shown in FIG. 3. The lock is released by simply moving the finger 45 upward to disengage the pawl 38 from the rack, whereupon the spring 34 moves the block 28 to its retracted position.

We claim:

1. A locking device for a pair of adjacent overlapping slide track panels comprising a vertically elongated housing, means for securing the housing to one of the panels, said housing having an opening through its outer wall, a block .member mounted in the bottom of the housing and projecting through said opening for horizontal movement between open and closed positions of the locking device, a rigid pin secured to the block and projecting through an aperture of the inner side of the housing, a spring within the housing urging the block and pin to a retracted position, a vertical slide within the housing having an undercut slant edge in contact with a corresponding parallel slant edge of the block in the retracted position of the block, spring means urging the slide downwardly to a position of engagement with the block, rack teeth carried by the block, a pawl secured to said vertical slide for engaging the rack in an elevated position of the vertical slide, a linger integral with and projecting outwardly from said vertical slide, said housing having a vertically enlarged opening through which the finger projects and in which it is movable to permit manual engagement and vertical actuation thereof, said vertical slide having an eX- tension at its upper end passing through an opening in the top of the housing, said extension being suiciently long to be juxtaposed in relation to a downwardly facing stationary member when the vertical slide is in its uppermost position.

2. A locking device as defined by claim 1 in which the length of the vertical extension is adjustable.

References Cited 15 UNITED STATES PATENTS 380,738 4/1888 Bachman 292-150 X 613,356 11/1898 Conerly 292-179 814,281 3/1906 Fritch 292-150 X 1,597,837 8/1926 Staley 292-150 X 20 2,038,827 4/1936 Carvette 292-179 2,700,566 1/1955 Wartian 292--207 X 2,721,361 10/1955 Ryan et al. 292

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LOCKING DEVICE FOR A PAIR OF ADJACENT OVERLAPPING SLIDE TRACK PANELS COMPRISING A VERTICALLY ELONGATED HOUSING, MEANS FOR SECURING THE HOUSING TO ONE OF THE PANELS, SAID HOUSING HAVING AN OPENING THROUGH ITS OUTER WALL, A BLOCK MEMBER MOUNTED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING AND PROJECTING THROUGH SAID OPENING FOR HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS OF THE LOCKING DEVICE, A RIGID PIN SECURED TO THE BLOCK AND PROJECTING THROUGH AN APERTURE OF THE INNER SIDE OF THE HOUSING, A SPRING WITHIN THE HOUSING URGING THE BLOCK AND PIN TO A RETRACTED POSITION, A VERTICAL SLIDE WITHIN THE HOUSING HAVING AN UNDERCUT SLANT EDGE IN CONTACT WITH A CORRESPONDING PARALLEL SLANT EDGE OF THE BLOCK IN THE RETRACTED POSITION OF THE BLOCK SPRING MEANS URGING THE SLIDE DOWNWARDLY TO A POSITION OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BLOCK, RACK TEETH CARRIED BY THE BLOCK, A PAWL SECURED TO SAID VERTICAL SLIDE FOR ENGAGING THE RACK IN AN ELEVATED POSITION OF THE VERTICAL SLIDE, A FINGER INTEGRAL WITH AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID VERTICAL SLIDE, SAID HOUSING HAVING A VERTICALLY ENLARGED OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE FINGER PROJECTS AND IN WHICH IT IS MOVABLE TO PERMIT MANUAL ENGAGEMENT AND VERTICAL ACTUATION THEREOF, SAID VERTICAL SLIDE HAVING AN EXTENSION AT ITS UPPER END PASSING THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE HOUSING, SAID EXTENSION BEING SUFFICIENTLY LONG TO THE JUXTAPOSED IN RELATION TO A DOWNWARDLY FACING STATIONARY MEMBER WHEN THE VERTICAL SLIDE IS IN ITS UPPERMOST POSITION. 